enthusiasts and fanatics, who assert that such a thing is attainable in this life, as the in-dwelling witness of the Spirit of Truth!. Such teachers, and millions of their adhe. rents, I very much fear, do not know Jesu's by the Holy Ghost. Indeed, they cannot be the sons of God, while they are led by the spirit of the devil. They may talk about the knowledge of the truth, the same as a parrot, who has been taught to say a few words; but they cannot know the Father experimentally, without the Son, nor the Son, without the influence of the holy spirit. A great many téxts of Scripture might be adduced, to confirm this hypothesis, or rather fundametal truth, but I would refer the reader to my“ Collection of Scripture Promises," where this argumentation is more fully demonstrated : At present I will only shew the indispensable necessity of every Christian being influenced, enlightened, and stimulated by the spirit of Christ from Scripture testimony.

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."-John vi. 63. "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.". "-Acts ii. 4. "There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his spirit that dwelleth in you. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall dic: but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For ye

have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."-Rom. viii. ver. 1, 2, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 26.

Since therefore, it is so clearly proved from scripture, that it is the privilege of every Christian to have the spirit of Christ dwelling in him, and that "Whosoever hath not the spirit of God is none of his," what miserable folly is it to oppose this wholesome and happyfying doctrine, which to believe and obey is life eternal? The spirit of Christ leads to all truth and felicity, yet it is rejected by most professors, while our own spirits lead to all folly and misery; yet, alas! we follow them with avidity.

Y

The spirit of God never leads a man to do a cruel act; but the spirit of the devil has stimulated men, in the name of God and religion, to murder millions of men; at the same time asserting, that scripture commanded, that reason allowed, and tradition stimulated them, to extirpate by fire and sword, so many of their fellow worms from the face of the earth! All this was the consequence of their rejecting the spirit of God, and obeying the evil spirit.

Have not the Papists persecuted the Protestants? the Protestants the Presbyterians? the Presbyterians the Methodists? and here delicacy commands me to stop. The fact is, in all denominations that I know of, two only excepted, (and one of them is in a state of minority) there are popes, bishops, and tyrannical dictators. We need not look only to Europe, to view a persecuting intolerant spirit; in America it may also be seen in its dictatorial attitude, and with its arbitrary appendages. I

could give a tragical picture of the intoler. ance of a certain denomination, whom one would think, from their origin, would be the last to stand forward in support of this terrible auxiliary of hell, I mean, ecclesias-> tical despotism, which would cause the philanthropist to melt into tears ! Indeed, a persecuting spirit, into whatever form it may be assimilated, whatever name it may assume, or whatever excuse it may plead, whether it is in miniature or magnitude, is most assuredly a fatal auxiliary of hell ; the curse and disgrace of the human race.

It seems that societies are as prone to degenerate as individuals, and from the same cause I mean prosperity. Hence I will again assert, that adversity is the patron of virtue and true religion, both as it respects individuals, as well as associations of them. This I can testify from experience. Calamity has caused me to seek refuge in the bosom of God, while the per